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With the addition of the Advance Steel connections in Revit, the line between the two software’s have become even more blurred. I often encounter users who ask: Which one do I use? Do I need both? What are the differences? The quick answer is level of detail you need, but I want to get a bit deeper into the specifics that separate these steel design packages.

Before we jump into the differences, I first want to talk about some of the similarities.

Steel layout:

A Revit structure model is a common deliverable requirement for clients. It matters less where we do our steel design because of the Advance Steel Extension in Revit.

Meaning if Advance Steel ends up being the steel software better suited for your work, but you are still required to deliver a Revit Structure model, the Advance Steel Extension allows us to export our Advance Steel objects and import them as Revit family objects and vice versa. So, start in Revit and take your model into Advance Steel or do your work in Advance Steel and push that into Revit. For purely steel layout functionality these tools are fairly evenly matched, especially since we can push and pull the data from one side to another. Cutting the requirement to model everything twice.

Parametric Steel Connection:

In Revit 2017 the Steel connection tool was released where a few of the most common Advance Steel connections could be placed directly into the Revit model with the same parametric control and interface that we had in Advance Steel. In 2018 this got even better, where over 130 of the Advance Steel connections can be placed through connection tool. These connections can also be pushed and pulled from Advance Steel through the Advance Steel Extension.

Structural Analysis:

Both Advance Steel and Revit will export and import to most structural analysis software. The tightest integration is obviously going to be with Autodesk’s Robot Structural Analysis software.

See what I mean about that blurred line? Those are the three major similarities that typically get identified first. So that we can better understand what divides these two software’s lets get into what makes them different.

Documentation:

Advance Steel is a steel fabrication documentation power house. Where as in Revit we are limited to the typical plan, section, and elevation views. Advance Steel has those plus it allows users to pick a drawing style that does things like grab all of the plates, members, or assemblies and pre-determines through drawing setup how they are going to be displayed and annotated. One view per sheet or multiple, it all depends on the drawing style you select.

The above picture is an example of an out of the box drawing styles for plates. There is a large library of existing drawing styles that can modified to meet a user’s standards. The documentation is also flagged and updated when changes to the model are made.

Miscellaneous Steel

While Revit can represent some miscellaneous steel objects like railing and stairs, the level of detail is not to fabrication level requirements. This is another area where Advance Steel shines. It allows users to create miscellaneous steel items like stairs, railings, ladders, custom folded plates, and create that fabrication level of detail. Users can specify where and how items are being welded or bolted, are the members coped, are the treads different and then through the documentation tools mentioned above automate the documentation of these items.

So, if you need to create steel models, place connections for representation and clash, document the layout of your members and simply just show some of your miscellaneous items then Revit is likely going to be the solution for you. But if you need that next level of detail and automated fabrication documentation then Advance Steel is likely going to be the solution for you. If a consultant has already done the layout in Revit or the deliverable is a Revit Structure model than the combination of both pushing and pulling the data to sync it up on both sides may be your solution.

10/16/2018

10/15/2018

Inside of P&ID you may notice that the selection list from the substitute component grip is blank. Although you can still choose and swap out the components the geometry of the symbols does not display.

This can be fixed by first closing your project. Remember that closing the software does not close your project. In order to fully close your project, you need to right click on the top level of your Project Manager and select Close Project.

Once your project is closed, navigate to your project folder through windows explorer and locate the SubstitutionPalettes.XML at the root level of the project folder and delete it.

This file will be recreated when the project is re-opened and you should see symbols in your substitute component list again.

10/09/2018

Getting older facilities into a digital format that's easy to use is key to using your facilities management tools to their fullest.

But re-creating old CAD drawings is time-consuming and still will not necessarily accurate reflect the as-built condition of your building.

Today, high-definition scanning (HDS) uses laser imaging to take millions of point measurements as well as 360 degree pictures. They're stitched together, allowing a full dataset of your existing facilities. The technology for HDS is evolving rapidly, and the cost for these devices has come down significantly. The scanners can be run by anyone in an FM department - including the intern.

10/04/2018

There has been a lot of talk among my colleagues about using fabrication parts over Revit content now that Revit gives us this ability. As a designer who worked for both the design side and the construction side, I thought I would share my experiences. Let’s dig in.

Before you decide to start running with fabrication parts decide what kind of design you do. Are you contracted for design, but hand over the construction and fabrication? Do you develop true fabrication drawings, or are you a design/build contractor?

If you are primarily responsible for design, then I would not recommend using fabrication content. Honestly, Revit content can do many of the things ITMs can do without all the restrictions. I would also mention that editing custom Revit content is easier and less restrictive. In a typical Revit scenario, it is also faster to draw with native Revit content. The only draw back is that fabrication content will be much more accurate for estimating cost and space requirements.

If you are the contractor, then fabrication parts are great. It basically bridges the divide between designers and detailers. It allows detailers to use design models in their native format to route fabrication level content. It also lets you get fabrication level estimates. Using Revit extensions for fabrication it Is easy to export an MAJ file that can use your default templates and standards for spooling in Fabrication.

If you are a design/build contractor, you have the option to design in native Revit content and then convert the design to fabrication when it’s time for construction. This gives you the flexibility to work with outside teams and convert their designs saving rework later. It is important to note that during the conversion process is that there are times that there will not be a Fabrication Part that accurately replaces the Revit content.

10/02/2018

If you have spent any time rendering, you probably have discovered that the entire process requires a lot of time and patience. After spending a considerable amount of time perfecting your settings and running many test renderings, nothing can be more frustrating than having lighting issues. If your renderings in Revit are too dark or completely black, you should look at some key lighting settings to determine if they are the root cause.

Here are four things to check:

Verify that you have the appropriate Lighting Scheme selected for your view (Revit offers six Lighting Schemes). For example, if you select the scheme called ‘Interior: Sun only,’ you will not be able to render your view with any artificial light fixtures.

Verify that your Light Groups are turned on with a checkmark and that dimming is set to 1. Keep in mind that you can only select Artificial Lights when a Lighting Scheme contains Artificial Lighting. For example, if you select the scheme called ‘Interior: Sun only,’ you will not be able to select any artificial lights fixtures.

Verify that you have selected the appropriate Daylight Portal options for sunlit interior renderings. To select the Daylight Portal options, click EDIT under the Quality setting of the Rendering dialogue box, which will open the Render Quality Settings dialogue box. Next, select which rendering quality you want (Draft, Low, Medium, High, or Best). Click COPY TO CUSTOM. This option will allow you to select the openings you would like to have daylight come through.

If your Artificial Lights are turned on but little to no light is coming out of the fixture, check to see if your lighting fixture family has geometry, such as a diffuser, that is blocking the light source definition. If there is a diffuser, check to see if the diffuser material has a transparency. If the transparency is not selected, or the percentage is very low, you will see little to no light emission from your fixture.

For more tips and tricks, read our blog posts. For more information on the software solutions, training and consulting IMAGINiT provides, visit the IMAGINiT website.